As I was finishing up dishes, putting away dinner, and starting laundry after getting home way after 3:05, I decided I needed a brain break, so I pulled up the ol' Social Media and mindlessly began scrolling.
While scrolling, I found "31 Teacher Memes We All Relate To". Well of course I had to look at them. I found myself relating to all of them, and I giggled. Then I saw one that said "Teaching, the only job you can hate and love at the same time." That really struck me. I guess at this point I should explain the title of this post is clearly false, but that silly meme really got my brain rolling. (Meanwhile, the ones about the helicopter parents, repeating directions after having just given them, and faculty meetings being cancelled had me rolling - I'm just keeping it real.) There are days I come home mentally, physically, emotionally, and verbally (is that even a thing?) exhausted. After those exhausting days, I spend my evenings grading papers, trying to come up with lesson plans, searching Teachers Pay Teachers or Pinterest for the next greatest idea or strategy, and/or trying to just cope. Sometimes, more often than I would like, I catch myself being very overwhelmed and only remembering the negative of the day. Engaging, managing, teaching, learning, helping, and loving 20+ children can wear you down. Changes in curriculum, standards, procedures, picture day, full moons, and whatever else can wear you down. Parents who have children that do no wrong wear you down. Grading papers, filing papers, professional development, seeing all of the great things everyone else seems to be doing better than you, behavior plans, emails, data, getting to work at 6:30pm and leaving at 6:30am, and testing will wear you down. Wondering how on earth other people do the same job you do and do it so much more efficiently and competently (and some of them have children, multiple children, and a dog, and maybe a cat, and they have super clean house and constantly folded laundry, and I'm over here like I have a Cabbage Patch doll, and some frogs that hang outside my house, and they take care of themselves) will wear you down. I'm worn. And in the midst of it all, I absolutely love my job. Clearly I do. I can't see spending 65+ hours a week doing something I don't enjoy. Like I said, I've often caught myself in the pity boat, and as soon as I'm out of it I regret it because I do give the impression that I don't enjoy my job. Despite popular belief, we don't color and play (nor do we work 7-2... sorry I'll get off that boat), but I do get to spend my day with the coolest people. You see children are pretty neat. They don't know about bills, and other adult things yet. They're just worried about multiplication. They're forgive and forget. Bandaids fix their biggest problems. They don't see skin color- they see human beings. They laugh at your jokes but not at you. They pass gas, and they go on with life. They're just great. Every single day I get to meet 20+ young and impressionable human beings. I really can have an impact on their life. I don't have to go searching for opportunities- they sit right in front of me every single day. Every single day I have children who come from the most amazing homes. Their parents love them, encourage them, discipline them, hold them accountable, help them, read with them, help them with homework, feed them, and clothe them. Those same wonderful parents send supplies at the drop of a pin and offer help whenever it is needed. Every single day I have children who come from situations I know nothing about. I don't know what they left that morning, or what they'll go home to that night. Every single day, I love all of those children described above. From the child who cries because he/she doesn't want to disappoint his/her parents with a B instead of an A, to the child who left home without breakfast and will go home to care for him/herself, they're all important. Yes, the time I spend outside of school preparing for the days ahead often overwhelms me. There are days I wonder if I can go back the next day and do it again, but praise God for the children. They make every day worth it. Their unconditional love, intelligence, desire to be better, love of recess, laughter, and smiles make every day worth while. On the days I forget (and in the midst of it all, I'm keeping it real again, it's easy to forget, but remember it's ok to be a mess... there's a blog post about that too- feel free to check it out) , I hope I remember that I do enjoy this job. It's more than the present... it's all about loving a child and hopefully changing a life- for the better. Thank You Lord for an opportunity to be a light for You. In a public school, I may not be able to proclaim Your Name, but I pray they see You in me.
2 Comments
Earlene
9/21/2016 04:24:31 am
Love this! You are an amazing person/teacher. Wish we had more like you!
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Mom
9/25/2016 09:42:12 pm
I am so proud of you Savanna. You are amazing. I know your job snd life in general can be tiring but praise God he has placed you were he knew you would be a light for his children. You are blessed and you are were you are meant to be. I love you always.
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Saved by God's amazing grace and living this divinely put together puzzle of a beautiful life He so graciously blessed. Archives
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